Auroral Forecasting

Abstract

The growth, in recent decades, of “astronomical tourism” has led to some extent to a greater expectation—at least among those who can afford to travel!—that astronomical events and phenomena should be predictable, allowing trips and observations to be planned in advance. Total solar eclipses are the prime example, but the success of Asher andMcNaught’s Leonid storm forecasts (Chapter 1) also brought meteors into the same category. Improved understanding of how they are caused means that major, extensive auroral events can also be forecast with better accuracy, enabling would-be observers to get themselves out from under urban light pollution to locations with clear dark horizons for optimal viewing.